“I consider this book so valuable I plan to keep it on my bedside table should I need it later on. Its recommendations are based not just on the author’s experiences with illness, but also on interviews with more than 250 others: patients, family members, nurses, doctors, health plan administrators, managers of busy practices and nonprofit leaders.”—Jane E. Brody, New York Times
“A comprehensive and invaluable guide. The plain language and easy-to-follow instructions make this a ‘must have’ for every family, healthy or otherwise.”—Tom Brokaw, NBC Anchor
“AfterShock is important to have in your home, not just to give you vital information should you get bad news about your own health, but also to help friends and family who may have to cope with all of the issues facing them.”—Barbara Walters, ABC News
“Those who must enter the emotionally turbulent world of medical care for a serious illness always want, but often lack, the calming influence of a sensible companion who has been there before. Jessie Gruman’s book provides that companionship and will be greatly valued by many facing disturbing diagnoses.”—Harold Varmus, M.D., President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Nobel Prize recipient
“There comes a moment in all our lives when we get bad news about ourselves or someone we love. Jessie Gruman shows that how we handle the news—and what we do next—can make a huge difference in the life of the person affected. As someone who has been through a shocking episode with a child, I find the book worth reading and—just as important—worth keeping close at hand.”—Judy Woodruff, special correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
“Anyone with a scary diagnosis would do him/herself a favor by reading this book without delay. AfterShock is wise, sensitive, practical, readable, and helpful in the extreme.”—Betty Rollin, author of First, You Cry and Here’s the Bright Side
“This is an extraordinary guide based on solid research and depth of expertise. It is infused with clarity, wit, wisdom, compassion, and most of all, hope.”—Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York
“If someone you love has ever had a frightening diagnosis, they surely could have used Jessie Gruman’s book. By assuring you that your initial state of shock is normal, then by guiding you through the ways to make tough choices, AfterShock helps restore the sense of control you probably lost. A how-to on getting the best care, the book is both reassuring and empowering.”—Lesley Stahl, correspondent on 60 Minutes, CBS
“Each of us, or one of our loved ones, is likely to receive a diagnosis of devastating illness. That is why this perceptive, comforting, and practical book belongs on every family’s shelf.”—Joseph A. Califano Jr., Chairman and President, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, 1977–1979
“In this period of bewildering complexity in our fragmented health system, Jessie Gruman’s book is a quiet, reassuring refuge from the challenge of receiving shocking medical news—empowering to the patient and to his/her family, helping them to become active participants in the planning and the delivery of their health care and health maintenance. AfterShock is an invaluable medical resource and supportive companion.”—Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 1989–1993
“This is a book about life. The poignant stories attest to the enduring value of friends and family—as well as medical professionals—in helping find a path through the painful first shock and wrenching turmoil of a life-changing diagnosis. Everyone can benefit from this book. Don’t wait until you think you need it. Read it now.”—Mary O’Neil Mundinger, Dr.P.H., R.N., Dean and Centennial Professor in Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing
“When someone close to you is diagnosed with a serious illness, do them a big favor—give them this book. Dr. Gruman has written a compelling and comprehensive guide to making use of the best available evidence to respond to a bad diagnosis.”—John W. Rowe, M.D., Executive Chairman, Aetna
“Jessie Gruman knows of what she speaks. If you or a loved one has received a devastating diagnosis, AfterShock sympathetically lays out what to do and how to do it. Gruman’s book is clear, concise, wide-ranging, elegantly composed, richly illustrated by personal reflections, deeply informed, and highly practical. This is a work I will want to share with family and friends.”—Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., President, Institute of Medicine
“For patients and families faced with bad diagnostic news, it would be hard to find a more useful and dependable support. Jessie Gruman is wise, practical, and authoritative—and she’s been there.”—Jeremiah Barondess, M.D., President, New York Academy of Medicine
“No doctor can tell you everything you need to know about how to respond to a devastating diagnosis. AfterShock can help you make good choices about all the elements of your new and challenging situation. Jessie Gruman is a great friend of seriously ill patients. If you let her help you—she will.”—David Nathan, M.D., President Emeritus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
“The discovery of a medical problem causes a crisis not only for the patient but also for the family. The author, having been through these unsettling problems several times and having shown remarkable resilience, lays out practical suggestions on what to do and also how to relieve the stress.”—Aaron T. Beck, M.D., University Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, and Lasker Award recipient
“This is a splendid example of turning one’s recurrent frightening situation into a positive gift for others. I think the book will be most helpful...
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
